The present invention relates to a camouflaged and valuables-protecting wallet, in the form of a book or booklet, like a pocket diary or small compositional notebook. The basic device comprises a pair of outside covers and a set of paper sheets therebetween. The user's valuables, primarily consisting of credit cards and paper money can be concealed in an area or pocket/compartment located between either or both of the outer covers of the book and a thin movable cover plate adjacent thereto. The movable (it turns like a page turns, extending from the spine of the booklet) cover plate can slide into and out of a set of plastic flanges or overlays which extend inwardly (with respect to the cover's edges) and on the inside of the top, bottom, and outside (as opposed to the spine) edge of the cover(s). When the movable plate has its free edges slid beneath the flanges or overlays, the area behind the front (and/or rear) cover and the adjacent covering plate serves as a holding area for paper money and/or an organizer for one or more vertically stacked and staggered credit cards. When the covering plate or sheet is rolled or slid out or removed from the overlays/flanges, and turned as a page of the booklet, the paper money and credit card holder (staggering the top edges of the credit cards in a standard manner) are easily accessible. And, as mentioned, the present invention is intended to have one or more of the covers and/or covering plate(s) formed of a thin metallic layer or sheet to protect the data on the magnetic strips of the credit cards from being read by an RFID reader.
The thrust of the device and its function is to deceive and thereby prevent thieves and others from finding or recognizing a valuables-containing wallet, thereby deterring theft of precious materials, e.g., driver's license, credit cards, and paper money. Theft is a common problem and one that can be encountered anytime or anywhere. It can sometimes happen when a person's possessions are left unattended or unwatched. In that case, a thief is likely to dig through a purse or bag or other possessions looking for a conventional wallet to find money, credit cards, or sellable identifying information. Theft cannot be avoided simply by attending to one's possessions though. Thieves are also known to physically stop individuals and demand money or a wallet, often threatening violence if the victim does not comply, or simply taking objects directly off of the owner as is the case with pickpockets.
Even further, documents such as passports and credit cards that contain magnetic and readable strips or RFID strips or tags pose the risk of being discretely and unlawfully scanned without the owner's knowledge and the information contained therein then being used, stolen, sold quickly and then improperly used. When a thief having an electronic scanner (an RFID reader) is in the proximity of the credit cards or magnetically encoded strips on documents, he can scan the card or document's magnetic strip without having physical possession or access to the actual card or document. In that scenario, an unsavory individual nearby can scan and steal information without the owner even being aware. He can then use or sell the same. However, if the magnetic strips (with the data) are housed or covered within or between thin layers of metal, the RFID reader is blocked. From a security perspective, this is highly desirable.
Various articles have been developed to combat the threat of theft, including wallets which secure tightly against a user's body underneath clothing, pockets within waist belts for holding valuables, wallets that are chained to a belt, wallets requiring keys, and electronic passwords and signatures for opening of the same. However, many of these articles make it difficult for even the owner to reach his valuables within the wallet. Other developments, such as electronic passcodes, can be worked around in time. The present invention is a conventional-looking pocket diary or booklet with hidden areas for holding credit cards and paper money, all with metal sheets protecting against improper RFID reading of the data on the same.
There remains a need for a simple wallet or valuables-carrying device that visually presents as another object and that defends against electronic scanning while still being easy to carry, access, and use. The present invention conceals a wallet or pocket/compartment(s) within a diary, a notebook, a composition looking notebook, i.e., a pad of paper meant to look like a personal calendar, diary or journal, which appears to be of no use to anyone but the owner himself. The notebook further has one or more metal plates sandwiching the credit cards or the front and back covers are metal sheet lined to prevent digital scanning of the materials contained within the interior holding compartments, as well. In an alternate embodiment, the device resembles an ordinary pocket diary, calendar, a thin notebook, etc. with many sheets of ordinary writing paper secured to the spine. The covers (front and rear) are formed with thin, metallic sheets (preferably copper, aluminum, silver and/or gold or alloys thereof). On the inside of the front and rear covers, spaced from the front and rear covers, can be a second layer of thin, metallic material. This covering page or plate will be alternatively held within a set of contiguous overlays of the covers of the booklet or removed from the flanges or overlays to expose the credit card organizer and pocket money holding areas. Between the covering plate and the inside surface of the outer covers of the booklet, a holding pocket (actually two such pockets—one at the front, one at the rear of the booklet) for an organizing, stacking rack of credit cards and paper money space/compartments can be provided. The overlays or flanges are preferably thin, transparent and plastic, more preferably they are a continuous three sided, inwardly directed border of the inside surface of the front and rear covers, all to selectively capture and release the edges of the covering plate.
A camouflaging booklet for valuables which also protects the same from RFID readers is a goal sought to be provided by the present invention. It is desirable to have the same lightweight, inexpensive, attractive and functional.